Improvement in automatic feeding devices for horses



2 sheets-'snet 1.

' s. s. WILLIAMS. Automatic Feeding Device for Horses.

No'. 221,887. Patented Nov. 18,1879.

vii-fa r 71 99a.

- a 22 i: INVENTOB.

NJETERS, PMOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

. 2 SheetsSheet 2. l x e v S, WILLIAMS.-

Automatic Feeding Device for Horses.

- No. 221,887. Patented Nov. 18, 1879.

I INVENTOB. flies UNI'IED STATES PATENT OFFIGE.

SAMUEL S. WILLIAMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF HISRIGHT TO ROBERT BRAUDHUBER, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICES FOR HORSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221,887, dated November18, 1879 application filed February 7, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. WILLIAMS,

of Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Stables and Stable- Fixtures, ofwhich the following, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification. Figure 1, Sheet 1. is a front view of the fixtures towhich my invention relates; Fig. 2, Sheet 1, a section in the plane ofthe line am; Fig. 3, Sheet 2, a front view of one of the graduateddisks; and Fig. 4, Sheet 2, a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

A represents a stable or stall for horses. 13 is the feed box or trough.O is a supplemental box or feed-holder arranged above or over the box B,and having aninclined front, as shown. D is a swinging valve or shelf,forming the bottom of the box 0. The valve 1) is rigidly attached to arocking lever, E, having suitable bearings, and projecting beyond thebox 0, by preference.

F is an arm or lever, pivoted or hinged at its rear end to the wall ofthe stable, and projecting therefrom to a sufficient extent to have muchforce as a lever when employed in the manner hereinafter described. G isa link or connecting-arm, pivoted or hinged to the rear end of the crankor arm of the lever E, and looped freely over the lever F. H is a rotaryshaft, in the forward part of which is cut a spiral groove or worm, I. Jis a link or loop connected to the forward end of the lever F, andlooped over and resting freely upon the spiral or worm I. K is a stoppassing freely through the loop of the link J.

The shaft H maybe rotated automaticallyin any suitable way-for example,by means of clock-work, as indicated at a-the direction of the rotationbeing such as to slowly carry the upper end of the link J toward theforward or grooved end of the shaft. When the link J is supported by theshaft H, the valve or shelf D is thereby held in such a position as toclose the bottom of the box 0, and consequently grain or feed will thenbe retained in the said box, if there placed, for being fed to thehorse, it being understood that this box will contain enough to furnishone feeding. When the upper end of the link J reaches the forward end ofthe shaft H, this link slips off therefrom and falls upon the stop orsupport K. The valve D then has no support. Consequently the feed in thebox 0 is dumped or falls into the box B, where the horse may have accessto it.

My purpose in providing means for dumping the feed automatically intothe feed-boxes may be explained as follows: Many horses are employed 'inwork requiring them to be' fed very early in the morning, andconsequently the person having charge of them must be up much earlier inorder to feed them. If the shaft H rotates once in one. hour, the link Jwill be advanced in that time one thread of the spiral or worm I, and ifthere are ten circuits of the spiral, the link will drop from itssupport in ten hours from the time it is arranged to be caught by therear end of the "spiral. Therefore, if I wish to have my horse fed at 6a. m., I place in the box 0 his feed for that morning, having hung thelink J on the rear end of the spiral I at 8 p. m. of the evening before,(which, it may be supposed, is the time of feeding at evening,) andhaving wound up the clock mechanism, I may then feel assured that thehorse will have access to his food at 6 a. m., and consequently I neednot then go to the stable to feed him.

It may be perceived thatby a very simple calculation the link J may beso arranged that the horse will be fed at a different hour. For example,if I wish the horse fed at 5 a. m., it is only necessary to arrange thelink J one spiral forward of that in which it was before arranged. Toarouse the horse and give notice of the proper working of the mechanism,a gong, L, may be employed, the hammer of which may be connected to anyof the downmoving parts released when the link J is released-forexample, by means of a cord, M, to the arm of the lever E. A disk, N,properly graduated, may also be employed in connection with anindex-hand, O, on the shaft H, to denote how long the clock mechanismhas run at the time the link J is to be set. The clock mechanism mayalso be utilized to indicate the hour of the day, as illustrated at 1).

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the feed-holder O, the trap or valve D, therock-lever E, the suspend ing-lever F, the connecting-links Gand J, andthe spirally-grooved rotary shat't H, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

2. The combination of the feed-holder O, the trap or valve 1), thespirally-grooved rotary shaft H, the rock-lever E, and means forsuspending the said lever on the Worm 0f the said shaft, substantiallyas and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination of a clock or chronometer, the rotary worm-shaft H,and the tilting valve D, supported or suspended on the said shaft, inconnection with a feed-holder and feed-box, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

4. The combination of the gong L With the tilting valve or bottom D ofthe feed-holder O and mechanism for controlling the said valveautomatically, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

SAMUEL S. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

F. F. WARNER, H. C. BALLARD.

